Chapter 3

"Claude Thorne," I called him by his full name for the first time as I casually tossed the "Notice of Dissolution of Mate Bond" toward him.

"I am now formally informing you that I no longer wish to be Beta, and I couldn't care less about the Luna position either. Since you care so much about Victoria, you can have her take my place at the coronation ceremony next month."

"How many times do I have to say it?" Claude was thoroughly enraged. Without even glancing at the notice, he lunged forward and seized me by the shoulders.

"I think of Victoria as a sister. My regard for her is based solely on the debt I owe her father! And you want me to make her Luna? You must've lost your mind!"

Rage burned in his eyes. "Do you have any idea what giving up Luna means? You'd actually make a joke out of something like this just to get my attention? Do you think I have nothing better to do?"

"Do you truly think of her only as a sister?" I demanded, my voice cracking.

Just then, a figure appeared in the doorway.

Victoria stumbled in, panic written all over her face.

"Claude, something terrible has happened! The border barrier is weakening, and outsiders are attacking!"

Claude's expression instantly tightened. He released me and coldly tossed out a final remark.

"Stay home and reflect properly. I'll deal with you when I get back."

With that, he rushed out of the door.

I calmly picked up the notice he'd ignored. Then, I looked around the room that no longer held any of my belongings and murmured to myself, "Home? Do I still have a home?"

Claude was right. I did need to reflect—on how I'd been blind to the truth for ten years.

Early the next morning, I left the pack's core territory and returned to what had once been my home.

It was a small settlement attached to the fringes of the Moonwing pack.

The moment I stepped through the door, my father, Raymond Ashwood, rubbed his hands together as he hurried over. His face, puffy from years of heavy drinking, was plastered with a fawning smile.

"Heather, how did it go? Did Claude promise you the Luna position? I heard Luna gets extra monthly supplies, plus—"

"No," I interrupted flatly, crushing his fantasies. "And there are no supplies. I've dissolved my mate bond with Claude, so I'll probably be moving back here from now on."

The air froze for a second.

The smile on Dad's face stiffened, then twisted into something hideous and terrifying.

A sharp, heavy slap landed across my face.

"You useless wretch!" Dad exploded in rage, jabbing his finger at my nose as he cursed me out. "Your brother Jax made a huge bet with some other wolves and lost a fortune.

"The whole family's counting on you to turn things around, yet you dare dissolve the mate bond? I'm going to beat you to death!"

"What a loser." My stepmother, Linda Lupine, folded her arms and fanned the flames. "You can't even hold on to a mate, and now you want to come back here and freeload? The nerve!"

Dad grew more agitated with each passing moment. He grabbed a glass ashtray from the table and hurled it at me with all his might.

I didn't dodge. The ashtray struck my temple, and blood streamed down from my brow, staining my vision red.

But I felt no pain. After all, what was a little physical hurt compared to the wounds already carved into my heart?

I casually wiped the blood from my face and looked at my so-called father as if seeing a stranger.

"That slap and this blood should just about repay you for raising me. From today onward, I have nothing more to do with this family."

With that, I turned and walked away.

Behind me came Dad's vicious curses, accompanied by the loud crash of things being smashed.

"Stubborn brat! If you walk out that door, don't ever come back! You can die out there for all I care. Throw out everything she left in the attic, lest they bring bad luck!"

Dragging my suitcase, I had nowhere to go.

In the end, I went to the gray zone between the two packs.

Here, there were no laws or jurisdiction. Instead, there was only a mix of Rogues and exiled outcasts.

I rented the cheapest apartment available.

Ironically, this was exactly where Claude had first placed me ten years ago when he took me away from my family.

Back then, he'd said, "You're an outsider. If you live in the core territory, you'll be ostracized. So, this place suits you better."

I'd believed him then, and I'd been so grateful. Now that I thought about it, it was just that he didn't consider me worthy of setting foot in his territory.